woodruff



(No Model.)

J. I. D. & L. Y. WOODRUFF.

PLAITING APPARATUS.

No. 344,335. PatentedJune 22.1886.

WI TJV ESSES N PUERS. Phawumognpher. Wnhingtan. D.C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN I. D. wWOODRUFF AND LAUNICY Y. VOODRUFF, OF ST. CHARLES, KY.

PLAITING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 344,335, dated June 22, 1886.

Application tiled March 9` 1886. Serial No. 194.540. (No model.)

.T0 @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be itknown that we, JOHN I. D. WOODRUFF and LAUNICY Y. WOODRUFF, residents of St. Charles, in the county of Hopkins and State of Kentucky, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Plaiting Apparatus; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in Which- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing our improved plaiting apparatus open, the pressboard being turned back in position for use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View taken through the plaiting-board, with material in position for operation and with the pressboard raised. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional VieW showing the device inverted and with the material in position for pressing. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional vievs7 taken on the line m in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line y y in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a view of the under side of the plaiting-board, showing the frame and its perforated covering; and Fig. lx is a crosssection, on an enlarged scale, of one blade of the plaiting-knife.

The same letters refer to the same parts in all the figures.

This invention relates to plaiti ng devices for forming ornamental creases in dress fabrics; and it has for its object to provide a device of this class which shall possess superior advantages in point of simplicity, durability, and general efticiency, and in which the fabric, having been plaited or creased, may be sub- 4o jected toironing or flattening on the wrong 'particularly' pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings hereto annexed, A designates aframe, preferably rectangular in shape, to the upper side of which is attached asheet, B, of either solid or perforated sheet metal or of sheet metal covered With textile material,

or of textile fabric alone, or of any other suitable material or combination of materials. Suitably attached to one end of said frame is a strap, C, which may be made of sheet metal or any other suitable material, and which is to be slightly raised above the level of the covering-sheet B, and to this strap C are attached, by means of loops D, of any suitable description, the ends of a series of straps or aprons, E, which may be constructed of any suitable textile fabric, and the upper sides of which may be graduated or furnished with scales or gages of any suitable denomination. Of these straps or aprons any suitable number-from two and upward-may be employed, accord-A ing to the width and general character of the material to be operated upon.

Attached to the frame A, at the end oppositeto the end at which the strap C is secured,is a bridge-piece, F, which may be constructed of sheet metal, and which is somewhat raised above the level of the surface-sheet B of the device. To this bridge-piece the free ends of the straps or aprons E are attached by means of elastic loops or bands G. Sometimes, however, the straps or aprons E may be made sufiiciently flexible or elastic to enable us to dispense with the elastic loops G, and we desire to reserve the privilege to do so when practicable.

H is a board,which is attached to the upper edge of the frame A by means of hinges I I, which will enable the said board to be folded iiat overor upon the covering-sheet B of the frame A. The under side of the folding board H is covered with annel, I', or With textile fabric of any suitable description Which will form a good surface for the pressing or ironing of the goods which are to be plaited in our improved 'apparatus The plaiting knife or tongs used in connection with our invention is made of tin or other suitable sheet metal by bending or doubling a strip ofsuch material ofsuitable length upon itself laterally, so as to form a triple thickness of material, as will be seen in Fig. l.x lThe strip is then folded so as to leave one end protruding beyond the other, and a handle may then be attached to the folded end, whereby the knife may be conveniently manipulated.

IOO

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed,

the operation and advantages of this invention will be readily understood. l

The general construction and arrangement of parts are simple and inexpensive. The material which is tobe plaited is inserted under the strap C and bridge F, and is then folded by means of the herein-described knife or tongs in such a manner as to form the desired plaits or creases. The board H is then folded over or upon the folds or creases of the fabric. The frame is then inverted and a hot 4dat or smoothing iron applied to the under side of the sheet B, thus pressing or ironing the plaited fabric on the Wrong side of the goods, and causing the necessarypermanency of the creases without injury to the right side of the fabric. 'lhe flexible or elastic loops whereby the ends of the straps or aprons E are attached to the bridgepiece F enable the said straps or aprons to yield or give when the plaitingknife is turned or manipulated in the act of forming the plaits or creases, while at the same time the said plaits or creases, when formed, will be securely held by the action of the said elastic bands or aprons. When formed and pressed, the plaits or creases will readily pass out under the raised bridgepiece F.

It will be readily seen thatin the manufacture of this article or device various changes might be introduced without materially departing from the principle, and we would, therefore, have it understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise construction and arrangement of parts herein described, but reserve to ourselves the right to all such changes and modifications as may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In a plaiting apparatus, the combination of a rectangular frame, a sheet of thin mate-` rial, metal or fabric, secured upon one side of and a fabric-covered press-board hinged to said plaiting-board, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a plaiting apparatus, the combination of a frame, a sheet of perforated metal attached to the upper side of the same, one or more flexible or elastic holding straps or aprons,

and a hinged folding board,`one side of which is covered `with textile material, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. As an iniprovementin plaiting apparatus, the combination of a frame, a perforated sheet of metal and a sheet of textile fabric attached to the upper side of the same, the transverse holding straps or aprons connected by means of loops to a strap at one end of said frame, and by means of flexible or elastic loops to a bridge-piece at the other end of said frame, a folding board hinged to the upper edge of the said frame and having its oneV side covered with textile material, and a folding knife or tongs having blades of unequal length adapted for insertion under the aprons of the device, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and specified.

5. In a 'plaiting apparatus, a plaiting knife made of a sheet of thin metal folded upon itself laterally,'forming a strip of several thicknesses, which strip is bent to form two prongs of unequal length, and attached by its bent portion to a suiteble handle, substantially as described and set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereunto affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN I. D. -WOODRUFF LAUNICY Y. WOODRUFF.

Witnesses:

JNO. E. Polaris, JAMEs MCNAMARA. 

